Appeal No. 2005-1595 6
Application No. 09/870,180
To remedy this deficiency, the examiner relies on the disclosure of Chau. As
correctly found by the examiner (Answer, page 5), Chau teaches a method of making
laminated optical components having embedded optical elements, which comprises
forming a resin body having a replicated surface topography, coating the surface with a
reflective coating and depositing at least partially a UV curable “transmissive” index
matching fluid in the coated surface. See also, Chau, column 1, lines 5-10 and column 5,
line 57 to column 6, line 25. The examiner finds (Answer, page 4), and the appellants do
not dispute (Brief in its entirety), that Chau teaches (column 9, lines 39-48):
A practical application of the present invention which has value within the
technological arts is transferring a surface topography, such as, for example,
a collimating array of microprisms, a surface diffuser, or even a diffraction
grating. Further, all the disclosed embodiments of the present invention are
useful in conjunction with transferring surface topography patterns such as
are used for the purpose of decoration, or the like. There are virtually
innumerable uses for the present invention described herein, all of which
need not be detailed here.
It follows that Chau’s “optical components” and resin body having “any surface
topography“ are inclusive of the optical reflector and the resin body having an improved
topography (cube corner cavities) taught by Stamm. Indeed, the appellants acknowledge
that Chau teaches that “any type of surface topography can be used to make his
reflective article...(emphasis ours)” See the Brief, page 3. We find that Chau teaches
that its “reflective article” can be enhanced upon using a reflective coating and a UV
curable “transmissive” index matching fluid on a resin body having “any type of surface
topography”. See column 6, lines 25-41.
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