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
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 1-8, 10-19, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Singh et al. (2018/0157170).
Regarding claims 1-2, 8, 19, and 22, Singh et al. discloses an imprint lithography method of configuring an optical layer includes imprinting first features of a first order of magnitude in size on a side of a substrate with a patterning template, while imprinting second features of a second order of magnitude in size on the side of the substrate with the patterning template – See abstract. The method comprises the steps of:
forming a first diffractive optic 204, 652 and a first fiducial 212 on a first surface 218 of a substrate 202 using a first mold 648;
aligning the substrate 654 with a second mold 648, [0064]; and
forming a second diffractive optic 710, 860 in a second surface of the substrate 202, opposite the first surface with the first diffractive optic 204, [0067].
Regarding claims 2-3, wherein the first diffractive optic is formed by first diffractive features arranged on the first mold and the first fiducial is formed by second diffractive features arranged on the first mold, [0067], [0072].
Regarding claim 4, wherein the first diffractive optic and the first fiducial are formed in the first surface simultaneously, [0072].
Regarding claims 5, 17, and 22, wherein the first fiducial 212 is arranged outside of a perimeter of the image light guide 200.
Regarding claim 6, 18, wherein the method further comprises the step of removing a portion of the substrate 654, [0064].
Regarding claim 7, wherein the method further comprises the step of aligning the first fiducial with a second fiducial arranged on the second mold – Fig. 9.
Regarding claim 10, wherein the step of aligning the substrate with a second mold comprises engaging the substrate 202 with at least one alignment protrusion or spacers 212.
Regarding claims 11, 13-14, wherein the method further comprises the steps of forming a first and second features on the first surface of the substate and a third feature on the second surface of the substrate [0068]-[0069].
Regarding claims 12, 15-16, wherein the method further comprises the step of depositing a second material on a second surface of the substrate, opposite the first surface of the substrate; and forming a second diffractive optic within the second material by compressing the second mold and the second surface of the substrate [0054], Figs. 5-6.
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.
Claims 20-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Singh et al. (2018/0157170) as applied to claims 1-8, 10-19 and 22 above, and further in view of Shibayama et al. (2019/0285996).
Singh et al. discloses an imprint lithography method of configuring an optical layer as described above but fails to disclose the step of curing the substrate ultraviolet light.
Shibayama et al. discloses an apparatus and method for imprinting a substrate comprising the steps of bringing a mold 7 and an imprint material on a substrate 8 into contact with each other, the irradiation unit 2 irradiates the mold 7 and the imprint material with ultraviolet light to cure the imprint material. The irradiation unit 2 can include a light source that emits ultraviolet light and a plurality of optical elements for irradiating the mold 7 and the imprint material with the ultraviolet light, which is emitted from the light source, in a predetermined shape and in a uniform manner [0031].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to cure imprinting material in Singh by using ultraviolet light as taught by Shibayama et al. in order to appropriately select the light source in accordance with the characteristic of the imprint material that serves as a light receiving object and to improve the curing of the material and the forming of the product.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thu-Khanh T. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1136. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:30.
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/Thu Khanh T. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
