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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/30/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Higashi.
Higashi (US Pub. No. 2006/0285089 A1) discloses (see annotated Figure 7):
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Regarding claim 1, a projection device (Figure 7, element 1a), comprising an optical engine module (Figure 7, element 20), a lens module (Figure 7, element 11), a sensing module (Figure 7, element 14) and a control module (Figure 7, element 10), wherein: the optical engine module (Figure 7, element 20) is configured to provide an image beam (i.e. projected image); the lens module (Figure 7, element 11) is configured on a transmission path of the image beam (i.e. projected image) to project the image beam (i.e. projected image) to a projection target (Figure 7, element 2) outside the projection device (Figure 7, element 1), the lens module (Figure 7, element 11) includes a first lens (Figure 7, element A), a second lens (Figure 7, element B) and a switch module (Figure 7, element 12), the switch module (Figure 7, element 12) connects the first lens (Figure 7, element A) and the second lens (Figure 7, element B) to switch the positions of the first lens (Figure 7, element A) and the second lens (Figure 7, element B) relative to the optical engine module (Figure 7, element 20); the sensing module (i.e. range sensor) includes a first sensing element (Figure 7, element 14), the first sensing element (Figure 7, element 14) is configured to sense a distance between the projection device (Figure 7, element 1a) and the projection target (Figure 7, element 2) to obtain a distance signal (i.e. desirable distance away from the screen); and the control module (Figure 7, element 10) is electrically connected to the sensing module (Figure 7, element 14) and the switch module (Figure 7, element 12), the control module (Figure 7, element 10) is configured to receive the distance signal from the first sensing element (Figure 7, element 14), and control the switch module according to the distance signal, so that the switch module (Figure 7, element 10) switches one of the first lens (Figure 7, element A) and the second lens (Figure 7, element B) to the transmission path of the image beam (i.e. projected image).
Regarding claim 4, the first lens (Figure 7, element A) and the second lens (Figure 7, element B) are switched, the switch module (Figure 7, element 12) moves the first lens (Figure 7, element A) and the second lens (Figure 7, element B) along a switch direction (i.e. direction perpendicular to the screen [element 2]), and the switch direction is perpendicular to a direction in which the image beam (i.e. projected image) incident on the lens module (Figure 7, element 11).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Higashi.
Higashi (US Pub. No. 2006/0285089 A1) disclose a projection device (Figure 7, element 1a) having a first lens (Figure 7, element A) and a second lens (Figure 7, element B). Higashi does not explicitly state a throw ratio of the first lens is greater than 0.3, and a throw ratio of the second lens is less than 0.3. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a throw ratio of the first lens is greater than 0.3, and a throw ratio of the second lens is less than 0.3 the purpose of optimizing the projector placement for a given screen size.
The applicant should note that it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). Furthermore, the applicant should note that it has been held that where the general working conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Higashi in view of Plut.
Higashi (US Pub. No. 2006/0285089 A1) teaches the salient features of the present invention as explained above except a beam angle of the image beam at the first lens is different from a beam angle of the image beam at the second lens.
Plut (US Pub. No. 2012/0206343 A1) discloses a beam angle of the image beam at the first lens (i.e. beam projected corresponding to element 602 in Figure 18) is different from a beam angle of the image beam at the second lens (i.e. beam projected corresponding to element 601 in Figure 18).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a beam angle of the image beam at the first lens is different from a beam angle of the image beam at the second lens as shown by Plut in combination with Higashi’s invention for the purpose of generating a near-peripheral surrounding video (see Plut, page 10, paragraph 0121, lines 2-3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-18 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, Higashi (US Pub. No. 2006/0285089 A1) discloses a projection device (Figure 7, element 1a), comprising an optical engine module (Figure 7, element 20), a lens module (Figure 7, element 11), a sensing module (Figure 7, element 14) and a control module (Figure 7, element 10). However, Higashi and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a projection device wherein the sensing module further includes a second sensing element, the second sensing element is electrically connected to the control module, and configured to sense an image formed by the image beam is projected onto the projection target, to obtain an image sensing signal, the control module is further configured to adjust a focal length of the first lens or a focal length of the second lens according to the image sensing signal.
Regarding claim 8, Higashi (US Pub. No. 2006/0285089 A1) discloses a projection device (Figure 7, element 1a), comprising an optical engine module (Figure 7, element 20), a lens module (Figure 7, element 11), a sensing module (Figure 7, element 14) and a control module (Figure 7, element 10). However, Higashi and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a projection device wherein the sensing module further includes a third sensing element, the third sensing element is electrically connected to the control module, and configured to sense a position of the projection device to obtain a position signal, the control module is further configured to generate a correction compensation signal according to the position signal and transmit the correction compensation signal to the optical engine module, so that the optical engine module adjusts the image beam according to the correction compensation signal to correct the shape of an image formed by the image beam is projected onto the projection target.
Regarding claim 13, Higashi (US Pub. No. 2006/0285089 A1) discloses a projection device (Figure 7, element 1a), comprising an optical engine module (Figure 7, element 20), a lens module (Figure 7, element 11), a sensing module (Figure 7, element 14) and a control module (Figure 7, element 10). However, Higashi and the prior art of record neither shows nor suggests a projection device wherein the steps of the use method of the projection device comprises: projecting the image beam to the projection target; sensing the distance between the projection device and the projection target to obtain the distance signal; and controlling the switch module according to the distance signal, so that the switch module switches one of the first lens and the second lens to the transmission path of the image beam.
Regarding claims 6-7, 9-12 and 14-18, the claims are allowable based on their dependence from claims 5, 8 and 13 (respectively).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Pan et al. (US Patent No. 10,571,792 B2) discloses a projection device for forming an image frame on a projection screen includes a first illumination system for emitting an illumination beam, a second illumination system for emitting an ultraviolet beam, a first light valve located on a transmission path of the illumination beam and for converting the illumination beam into a visible image beam, a lens located on a transmission path of the visible image beam and the ultraviolet beam and for projecting the visible image beam onto the projection screen to form an image frame area and projecting the ultraviolet beam onto the projection screen to form an opaque area, and a processor electrically connected to the first illumination system and the second illumination system and for controlling the first illumination system to emit the illumination beam and controlling the second illumination system to emit the ultraviolet beam.
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/MAGDA CRUZ/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2882
08/27/2026
Prosecution Insights