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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5, 7, and 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kress et al. (US 20240085590 A1, hereinafter Kress) in view of Shastri et al. (US 20250085549 A1, hereinafter Shastri).
Concerning claims 1 and 20, Kress teaches an electronic device comprising:
a lens (¶0031: metalenses); and
a display device which displays an image to a user’s single eye through the lens (fig. 6: display system; ¶0012), wherein the display device includes:
a light source which provides light (fig. 6; ¶0080: RGB optical radiation);
a plurality of first nanostructures which collimates the light from the light source and converts a light path of the light from the light source (fig. 6: input metasurface coupler 665; ¶0080);
a light guide portion which totally reflects light incident thereon from the plurality of first nanostructures in a way such that the light thereon travels from one end to another end thereof (fig. 6: waveguide 660);
and
a plurality of second nanostructures which collimates light incident thereon from the light guide portion and converts a light path of the light incident thereon to provide the light incident thereon to the target plane (fig. 6: output metasurface coupler 666; ¶0080). Not explicitly taught is a spatial light modulator which modulates a phase of light incident thereon from the light guide portion and outputs the light having the phase modulated thereby; and the plurality of second nanostructures providing the light incident thereon to the spatial light modulator.
Shastri, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a system using meta-surfaces for wearable displays, comprising:
a spatial light modulator which modulates a phase of light incident thereon from the light guide portion and outputs the light having the phase modulated thereby (figs. 2-5: spatial light modulators 210, 310, 410-414, and 510-514); and
wherein, one or more metasurfaces are to focus the visible light that is output by the one or more spatial light modulators (¶¶0019-0020). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the teachings of Shastri in to the Kress invention in order to accommodate a compact form factor.
Concerning claim 2, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first nanostructures have a first width, a first height, and a first spacing (¶0033).
Concerning claim 3, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second nanostructures have a second width, a second height, and a second spacing (¶0033).
Concerning claim 4, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein a length of a second area, in which the plurality of second nanostructures are arranged, in a first direction is greater than a length of a first area, in which the plurality of first nanostructures are arranged, in the first direction (¶0033: “…a metasurface may be patterned as a plurality of rectangular ridges with interelement spacings, heights, and widths selected to couple a wide bandwidth (or narrow bandwidth) of optical radiation into an optical waveguide”. That is to say, the metasurface may be patterned (e.g., length) to accommodate difference wavelengths of optical radiation.).
Concerning claim 5, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 4, wherein a length of the second area, in which the plurality of second nanostructures are arranged, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction is the same as a length of the first area, in which the plurality of first nanostructures are arranged, in the second direction (fig. 6: input metasurface coupler 666 and output metasurface coupler 666).
Concerning claim 7, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the light source includes:
a first light source which provides first light of a first color (¶0080: any one of RGB);
a second light source which provides second light of a second color (¶0080: any one of RGB); and
a third light source which provides third light of a third color (¶0080: any one of RGB).
Concerning claim 9, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of first nanostructures include:
a plurality of first sub-nanostructures overlapping the first light source, wherein the plurality of first sub-nanostructures collimates the first light emitted from the first light source and converts a light path of the first light emitted from the first light source (¶0033: metasurface rectangular ridges to couple any one of red, green, and blue optical radiation);
a plurality of second sub-nanostructures overlapping the second light source, wherein the plurality of second sub-nanostructures collimates the second light emitted from the second light source and converts a light path of the second light emitted from the second light source (¶0033: metasurface rectangular ridges to couple any one of red, green, and blue optical radiation); and
a plurality of third sub-nanostructures overlapping the third light source, wherein the plurality of third sub-nanostructures collimates the third light emitted from the third light source and converts a light path of the third light emitted from the third light source (¶0033: metasurface rectangular ridges to couple any one of red, green, and blue optical radiation).
Concerning claim 10, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of first sub-nanostructures and the plurality of second sub-nanostructures are different from each other (¶0033: the plurality of rectangular ridges may be patterned with interelement spacings, heights, and widths selected to couple a wide bandwidth (or narrow bandwidth) of optical radiation into an optical waveguide).
Concerning claim 11, Kress further teaches the display device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of third sub-nanostructures are different from the plurality of first sub-nanostructures and the plurality of second sub-nanostructures (¶0033: the plurality of rectangular ridges may be patterned with interelement spacings, heights, and widths selected to couple a wide bandwidth (or narrow bandwidth) of optical radiation into an optical waveguide).
Concerning claim 12, Shastri further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator is a liquid crystal-on-silicon display device including a liquid crystal layer disposed on a second semiconductor substrate (claim 10).
Concerning claim 13, Shastri further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the spatial light modulator includes:
a first spatial light modulator which modulates a phase of first light (figs. 4-5: any one of spatial light modulators 410-414, and 510-514);
a second spatial light modulator which modulates a phase of second light (figs. 4-5: any one of spatial light modulators 410-414, and 510-514); and
a third spatial light modulator which modulates a phase of third light (figs. 4-5: any one of spatial light modulators 410-414, and 510-514).
Concerning claim 14, Shastri further teaches the display device of claim 13, wherein each of the first spatial light modulator, the second spatial light modulator and the third spatial light modulator is a liquid crystal-on-silicon display device including a liquid crystal layer disposed on a second semiconductor substrate (claim 10).
Concerning claim 15, Kress, now incorporating the teachings of Shastri, teaches the display device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of second nanostructures include:
a plurality of fourth sub-nanostructures overlapping the first spatial light modulator, wherein the plurality of fourth sub-nanostructures collimates the first light incident thereon from the light guide portion and converts a light path of the first light incident thereon to provide the first light incident thereon to the first spatial light modulator (¶0033: optical metasurfaces have rectangular ridges to couple any one of red, green, and blue optical radiation; ¶0080: output metasurface coupler 666 decouples the optical radiation from the waveguide that is made up of red, green, and blue optical radiation);
a plurality of fifth sub-nanostructures overlapping the second spatial light modulator, wherein the plurality of fifth sub-nanostructures collimates the second light incident thereon from the light guide portion and converts a light path of the second light incident thereon to provide the second light incident thereon to the second spatial light modulator (¶0033: optical metasurfaces have rectangular ridges to couple any one of red, green, and blue optical radiation; ¶0080: output metasurface coupler 666 decouples the optical radiation from the waveguide that is made up of red, green, and blue optical radiation); and
a plurality of sixth sub-nanostructures overlapping the third spatial light modulator, wherein the plurality of sixth sub-nanostructures collimates the third light incident thereon from the light guide portion and converts a light path of the third light incident thereon to provide the third light incident thereon to the third spatial light modulator (¶0033: optical metasurfaces have rectangular ridges to couple any one of red, green, and blue optical radiation; ¶0080: output metasurface coupler 666 decouples the optical radiation from the waveguide that is made up of red, green, and blue optical radiation).
Concerning claim 16, Kress, now incorporating the teachings of Shastri, further teaches the display device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of fourth sub-nanostructures and the plurality of fifth sub-nanostructures are different from each other (¶0033: the plurality of rectangular ridges may be patterned with interelement spacings, heights, and widths selected to couple a wide bandwidth (or narrow bandwidth) of optical radiation into an optical waveguide; ¶0080: output metasurface coupler 666).
Concerning claim 17, Kress, now incorporating the teachings of Shastri, further teaches the display device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of sixth sub-nanostructures are different from the plurality of fourth sub-nanostructures and the plurality of fifth sub-nanostructures (¶0033: the plurality of rectangular ridges may be patterned with interelement spacings, heights, and widths selected to couple a wide bandwidth (or narrow bandwidth) of optical radiation into an optical waveguide; ¶0080: output metasurface coupler 666).
Concerning claim 18, Kress, now incorporating the teachings of Shastri, further teaches the display device of claim 1, wherein the light guide portion extends in a first direction (fig. 6: waveguide 660),
the light source is arranged to be adjacent to one side of the light guide portion in the first direction (fig. 6: arrangement of the display engine), and
the spatial light modulator is arranged to be adjacent to another side of the light guide portion in the first direction (fig. 6: arrangement of the output coupler).
Claims 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kress et al. (US 20240085590 A1, hereinafter Kress) in view of Shastri et al. (US 20250085549 A1, hereinafter Shastri) and Peng et al. (US 20260086408 A1, hereinafter Peng).
Concerning claim 6, Kress in view of Shastri teaches the display device of claim 1. Not explicitly taught is the device, wherein the light source is an organic light emitting diode-on-silicon display device including an organic light emitting layer disposed on a first semiconductor substrate.
Peng, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches a head-mounted display apparatus, wherein the light source is an organic light emitting diode-on-silicon display device including an organic light emitting layer disposed on a first semiconductor substrate (¶0212). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the teachings of Peng into the Kress in view of Shastri invention because a OLEDoS display apparatus is self-luminous and has a fast response speed (Peng, fig. 7).
Concerning claim 8, Kress in view of Shastri teaches the display device of claim 7. Not explicitly taught is wherein each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source is an organic light emitting diode-on-silicon display device including an organic light emitting layer disposed on a first semiconductor substrate.
Peng, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches a head-mounted display apparatus, wherein each of the first light source, the second light source and the third light source is an organic light emitting diode-on-silicon display device including an organic light emitting layer disposed on a first semiconductor substrate (¶0212: OLEDoS. It is well-known that a white OLED may be made and a color filter may be located on the white OLED so that R, G, and B colors may be implemented in the OLEDoS). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the teachings of Peng into the Kress in view of Shastri invention because a OLEDoS display apparatus is self-luminous and has a fast response speed (Peng, fig. 7).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kress et al. (US 20240085590 A1, hereinafter Kress) in view of Shastri et al. (US 20250085549 A1, hereinafter Shastri) and Danziger et al. (US 20250258347 A1, hereinafter Danziger).
Concerning claim 19, Kress in view of Shastri teaches the display device of claim 1. Kress further teaches the device, wherein the light guide portion includes: a first extension portion extending in a first direction (fig. 6 shows waveguide 660 extending in a first direction). Not explicitly taught is the device, a second extension portion extending in a third direction intersecting the first direction; and a reflector arranged in an area where one side of the first extension portion and one side of the second extension portion meet.
Danziger, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches variant and alternative implementations of a prism (e.g., reflector) that reflects light in a lightguide onto a receiver (¶0086). The position of the prism in the lightguide is based on the shape of the lightguide (¶0086). It is well-known that the shape of wave/lightguides may be may be varied to provide an output with a desired angular spread in x and y axes, therefore, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the teachings of Danziger into the Kress in view of Shastri invention and design a light guide portion that includes a second extension portion extending in a third direction intersecting the first direction; and a reflector arranged in an area where one side of the first extension portion and one side of the second extension portion meet in order to provide light output onto a receiver.
Conclusion
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/James M Anderson II/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425
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